Whether you’re throwing it on the grill or baking it in the oven, you’re going to need a side to round out your fish dinner. From cauliflower rice to ratatouille, you’re guaranteed to find what you’re looking for in one of these 40 side dishes for fish. Promise.
40 Quick and Easy Side Dishes for Fish
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Published Apr 10, 2022
1. Corn And Tomato Salad With Feta And Lime
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love it: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
We paired two of our favorite in-season vegetables in one summery side dish. Behold, a corn and tomato salad that will taste great on tacos, in pasta or all by itself.
2. Gluten-free Cauliflower Gnocchi Pomodoro
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: gluten free, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Whether it’s ravioli, tortellini or spaghetti, we’ll never turn down a big plate of pasta. This veggie-based wonder is no exception.
3. 20-minute Burrata Salad With Stone Fruit And Asparagus
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
No time? No problem. This recipe is a cinch to pull together, but your guests will be too busy being impressed to notice.
4. Creamy Sweet Corn Pappardelle
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegan, kid-friendly, dairy free
We don’t always eat vegan, but it’s a fun bonus when a creamy, delightful dish just so happens to be plant-based. (The secret is corn cob "milk.")
5. Melon Caprese Skewers
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian
Aren’t these little guys by Coterie member Gaby Dalkin the cutest? They're super refreshing after a long day in the yard.
6. Rainbow Vegetable Skewers
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegan, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Fire up the grill, the veggies are coming. The secret is sticking to one veggie per skewer so they all cook evenly without burning.
7. Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Sriracha And Lime
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegan, <10 ingredients, one pan
If there’s a sweet potato fan club out there, we’d like to join. These only need five additional ingredients to come together.
8. Panzanella Salad
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook
A healthy yet satisfying side that won’t take all day to make. (And hello, the main ingredient is bread.)
9. Easy Green Beans With Browned Butter Almondine
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
So darn easy, so darn elegant. It has Christmas dinner written all over it, but we're pretty sure you'll enjoy this side any time of year.
10. Ultra-crispy Baked Potato Wedges
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
We’ve never met a French fry we didn’t like, but we definitely prefer mess-free baking to deep-frying.
11. Lemon-tahini Salad With Lentils, Beets And Carrots
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegan, special occasion-worthy
Precooked lentils make this recipe a total breeze. But in our book, the tahini dressing is the star.
12. Cauliflower ‘potato’ Salad
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: low carb, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser
When the carb cravings hit, cauliflower is here to sub in for potatoes. Don't knock it 'til you try it, folks.
13. Cacio E Pepe Brussels Sprouts
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, one pan
Make it rain Pecorino Romano. These sprouts take 35 minutes to make (and way less time to devour).
14. Charred Cauliflower With Garlic Tahini Sauce
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian
Our favorite cruciferous veggie strikes again. It's steamed until tender, then broiled until crispy.
15. Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed With Barley Risotto
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, high protein
Ooh, so fancy. Bookmark it now for your next dinner party.
16. Oven-roasted Beets And Potatoes
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, one pan
When you really want to impress your guests...without doing too much work. Pair the side with seared halibut or cod.
17. Sweet Corn, Tomato And Zucchini Grain Salad With Peach-dijon Vinaigrette
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, vegetarian
Borage and nasturtium flowers? A salad never looked so pretty.
18. Greek Orzo-stuffed Red Peppers
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, special occasion-worthy
Plated with lemony basil tomatoes to boot. We’re already thinking about how great the leftovers are going to be.
19. Crispy Parmesan Brussels Sprout Bites
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
A side sauce never hurts, especially when you're feeding picky kids. (Lemony Dijonnaise goes great with fish sticks too, BTW.)
20. Ratatouille
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, one pan, vegan
This dish is basically oven-roasted produce, like zucchini, squash and eggplant. It pairs perfectly with shrimp, salmon, cod—you name it.
21. Vegan Potato Salad With Herbed Tahini Sauce
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegan, dairy free, crowd-pleaser, gluten free
No picnic is complete without potato salad, so why not make a vegan one that everyone can enjoy? The dressing is *everything*.
22. Cauliflower Stuffing With Pomegranate Seeds And Almonds
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
Cool if we have seconds? Stuff your fillet of fish with it or serve it as a side solo.
23. Cauliflower Rice
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegan, crowd-pleaser, low carb, keto friendly
Sometimes, you just gotta keep it simple. The world cauli rice is your oyster.
24. Sugar Snap Pea Salad With Chèvre Ranch
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, gluten free
Four words: Goat. Cheese. Ranch. Dressing. Did we mention it's ready in a flash and the peas only need to be cooked for two minutes?
25. Avocado Rice
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, vegan
Don't judge us, but we’re making this every night of the week (including fish Taco Tuesday).
26. Sage-barley Risotto With Butternut Squash
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love it: special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly
You don’t have to be a chef to master this recipe. It calls for barley instead of arborio rice, which cooks way faster.
27. Spiralized Winter Vegetable Gratin
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Gruyère is the key to our heart. Sub whatever seasonal veggies you have on hand for parsnips, sweet potatoes and butternut squash if you must.
28. Roasted Sweet Potato And Arugula Salad With Turmeric-honey Mustard Yogurt Dressing
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, dairy free, special occasion-worthy
This oh-so-impressive pick only takes 35 minutes. We love the addition of tart dried cherries in place of typical dried cranberries.
29. Greek Wedge Salad
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, vegan
The original is wonderfully simple, but all that bacon and blue cheese...oof. Try this lighter take on for size instead.
30. Summer Millet Salad
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, gluten free
If you're tired of quinoa as a base, it's time you tried millet. It's gluten-free and cooks to tender perfection in a jiffy.
31. Coconut Creamed Spinach
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegan, dairy free
Trade traditional dairy for coconut milk—the result is just as creamy. We'd serve this beauty alongside Thai-inspired salmon.
32. Grilled Corn With Spicy Aioli
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Meet fish tacos' soulmate. In the off-season, use a grill pan on the stove instead of your barbecue to char the corn.
33. 15-minute Pasta Limone
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: one pot, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
OK, so shrimp are technically crustaceans. But can you blame us for wanting to toss a few of 'em in garlic butter and serve them over the fastest pasta dish you've ever made? This side would also work well with grilled salmon.
34. Restorative Miso Noodle Soup
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegan, beginner-friendly, dairy free
We're feeling soothed already. Serve with a fillet of halibut, or flake the halibut into the soup.
35. Whole Roasted Carrots
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegan, special occasion-worthy
Flounder, cod, bass—any would pair wonderfully with this deliciously flexible side.
Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen
36. Smashed Brussels Sprouts
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
Warning: This will become your favorite way to make sprouts. Just boil, smash and roast.
Kristen Kilpatrick/The Comfortable Kitchen
37. Honey-sesame Sheet Pan Cauliflower
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, one pan
Whether you keep the steamed rice or ditch it, this dish will pair beautifully with teriyaki salmon.
Kelly Marshall/Sunday Best
38. Green Cabbage Gratin
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Because cheese, butter and breadcrumbs never hurt. Serve it with fried cod, smoked haddock or grilled tilapia.
Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen
39. Easy Roasted Tomato Bucatini
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Any white fish will pair well with red sauce, like cod, mahi, yellowtail or pollock.
Iain Bagwell/Mumbai Modern
40. Masala Smashed Potatoes
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy
Complete with cilantro-garlic yogurt sauce. We'd pair these spuds with a well-spiced salmon burger. (Go ahead and top that with the tangy sauce, too.)
For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.
